How to do WDW w/o being touched

[Invero]

Originally posted by wishiwere@wdw


Thanks for the reassurance. We are meeting some criticism as well. Personally, I cannot wait to spend 5 days with my then 6-month-old son this December. We have common sense, we are organized, and yes, we know how to operate a stroller. This is part of being a family and part of having kids.

I'm glad that you have common sense... and I hope you enjoy your first vacation with your new son Unfortunetly though, there are lots of parents out there that lack common sense... At the risk of being flamed, for those parents who might lack some common sense, I set forth some "suggestions" based on some things that I have seen. Agree, Disagree... these are merely my personal opinions, nothing more. (of course... on this board, these are probably things that we already know... I wish I could print it out, and give it to those folks I encounter at work... lol)

-All too often, I'll see parents who are too preoccupied with something else to keep full watch on thier children. As such, they'll start playing around with thier surroundings. The most common thing, is for a kid to sit/swing on a rope/chain that is being used for a queue line. Please do not let your children do this. Those ropes were not designed for that purpose, and will either stretch, or break. All too many times I have seen kids hurt themselves when they fall. I do ask, for those parents with smaller children, PLEASE watch over them constantly. If you see them playing with something they shouldnt be... ask them to stop. If it's not a toy, it's not meant to be played with.

-If you bring small children with you, then your vacation really is a trip for the kids. Please take thier needs into consideration when planning your day. For example, often times little kids might need a nap during the middle of the day. (Heck, often times *I* need a nap during the day). I know that you want to do everything, but take this time to rest and relax. Your child will be less cranky because of it.

-Although Pleasure Island is still Disney, and Family Oriented, it's really not geared for infants, toddlers, or even small children. The Comedy Warehouse is a big example of this. Yes, they are Disney, but some of the jokes are "Adult" jokes.

-During the hot summers, it's very easy to get dehydrated. Please make sure that everyone in your family keeps drinking lots of WATER (not soda). If your child wants to use the water fountain, LET THEM. I've seen parents drag thier kid away from the water fountain so that they could stand and wait for the monorail. Let them drink. Yes, they may need to go to the bathroom more frequently, but a trip to the bathroom is better than a trip to first aid.

-Most importantly... *HAVE FUN* Be ready for change. If your child doesnt want to do something, then do something that they DO want to do. They're more likely to remember riding thier favorite attraction a bunch of times, than riding that attraction they hated.


By the way... on a side note about little kids at WDW... yeah... they may not be able to remember it... I know I can't remember my first few times at WDW when I was little. However, my mother will never stop reminding me about how I got chocolate ice cream all over my new Disney World shirt... or how I cried because I wanted a mickey balloon... so my grandmother got me one... and I let it go in the air... how I was scared of Mickey... but ran to Chip & Dale... it's fun to "Remember the Magic"

 

[mkt]

Originally posted by Sketch105
Tip your waiters 15%!

I tip 15% on top of the gratuity that they add to my check when I get my CM discount... so it ends up being like a 30% tip... however, the day I got crap service at Chef Mickey's I made the manager refund me the gratuity... if the server is going to be rude to me (this is an isolated incident!!) I won't tip...

 

[mkt]

Originally posted by dreamer
BY THE WAY, Somebody keeps harping that the ADA prohibits questioning the validity of someone's disability. I don't believe that's true. Employers do it all the time.

Sure, if someone is missing a leg or weighs 800 lbs that's one thing. But when someone appears normal, I don't think questioning the disability is illegal. Planes require notes for certain meds -- insulin with needles, etc.

I have major migraines sporadically due to an unnoticable birth defect I have, and while I don't dwell on it, if I need to sit down or lie down, and I'm told to get up and they question my reason, I will inform them of the situation they may find themselves in. I have read the ADA, and it is illegal to question the validity of the disability. I'm not going to sue about it, and like I said, I don't dwell on it, because they are extremely rare (1 a month, if that), but there are many disabilities out there, and most are not noticeable.

 

[STGRhost]

I would like to add just a few more comments (to a dicussion that had turned ugly but now looks just swell!)

I thought that the ADA act was to make it possible for a gust to enjoy Disney exactly the same way anyone else would without creating a physical hardship to do that. I also thought that a CM told me once that the ADA actually promotes having people wait in line "just like everyone else" if those lines are accessible!!!

Yay! This is so true! And I have often had guests with dissabilities tell me the exact same thing. I once gave a "Using stroller as wheelchair" GAC card to a woman with a VERY small child hooked up to an oxygen tank (the stroller was more his size, and a little more managable than a chair), who nearly cried when I gave it to her and exclaimed "Thank you! All he ever wants is to be "just like" all the other kids!" It was a great feeling to do something so simple and have it mean so much...I guess this is why it's so frustrating to me to see people try to "cheat"

BY THE WAY, Somebody keeps harping that the ADA prohibits questioning the validity of someone's disability. I don't believe that's true. Employers do it all the time.

I know that, as a trainer, we're told that according to the ADA we cannot question the validity of someone's dissability when they're requesting assistance from us. We're not hiring these people, so we can't decide for them, or diagnose, if their child has epilepsy or autism - we can only give them the assistance they're "supposed" to get according to the system we have in place.

Finally, to add to the comments about small children at WDW, I have only one thing to say:
Like Tyler said, it's THEIR vacation. If they want to ride Dumbo, TAKE THEM ON DUMBO. Regardless of the wait time. Trust me, when I worked in Fantasyland I saw many, many young kids get dragged away from the Dumbo queue kicking and screaming. Sure, at 4 years old they may not remember actually RIDING the dern thing, but they will definetly remember NOT riding!

 

[DisneyCP2000]

Originally posted by Fantasia Boi

-All too often, I'll see parents who are too preoccupied with something else to keep full watch on thier children. As such, they'll start playing around with thier surroundings. The most common thing, is for a kid to sit/swing on a rope/chain that is being used for a queue line. Please do not let your children do this. Those ropes were not designed for that purpose, and will either stretch, or break. All too many times I have seen kids hurt themselves when they fall. I do ask, for those parents with smaller children, PLEASE watch over them constantly. If you see them playing with something they shouldnt be... ask them to stop. If it's not a toy, it's not meant to be played with.

I'd also like elaborate on this item. To all the parent's out there, make sure you keep an eye on your children at night. I worked at Epcot and heard (and seen) a few incidents where children would "clothesline" themselves. During Illuminations it can get pretty dark in the park. And if children are running around and don't notice roped areas or paths they may run into them and hurt themselves. Also be very careful of stantions (those poles that hold the ropes), some of them can be VERY heavy. And if they fall on a child, I'm positive that they will start crying ( I know I would). So please be careful, I doubt any parent wants to have this kind of story attached to thier trip.

 

[Disneyanna0521]

I hate when people bump into you w/ their strollers and if u do turn around and look they often don't care....about the touching...except it to an extent when u come to disney esp after fireworks and nye. one time that i was at wdw i was wearing the backpack and i had put a fewcharacters on their (like the ones that are attached to key rings) and i was in line for a pic w/ Windell..(from country bear jamboree)and this cute little boy behind me said "look mom their's eyeore" and his mom said" where". when he showed her she smiled i turned around and smiled...at first she seemed like she was worried if he touching eyeore offended me


Anna Elizabeth